Electrically erasable programmable read-only memories, or "EEPROMs", are commonly used in computer devices and subsystems to store "tag" or identification information for the devices or subsystems. For example, a network interface controller ("NIC"), which is a device used to connect a computer to a local area network ("LAN"), typically has assigned thereto a unique media access control ("MAC") or node address that identifies the NIC to the LAN and therefore enables the NIC to communicate with the LAN. The MAC or node address of the NIC is stored in an EEPROM associated therewith. If the data stored in the EEPROM is corrupted, the NIC is not recognizable to, and hence cannot communicate with, the LAN. A PCI device ID is also stored in the EEPROM of the NIC to enable the host computer and its software drivers and operating system to communicate with the NIC subsystem.
Currently, the conventional way to "repair" a "soft" failure in an EEPROM is to remove the entire integrated circuit ("IC") chip on which it resides and replace the IC chip with a new one. Often, this means replacing the entire device with which the EEPROM is associated. The EEPROM may be reprogrammed, although it is often simply discarded. Reprogramming the EEPROM typically involves removing the motherboard and returning it to the manufacturer. Clearly, this practice is time-consuming, labor intensive, expensive, and, in cases in which the defective EEPROM is simply discarded, wasteful.
Therefore, what is needed is a method of correcting identification data stored in an EEPROM without having to remove the EEPROM from the computer in which it resides.